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To float or not to float? My first experience in a float tank.

Courtney Apthorpe
Apr 12, 2016
3 min read

So I am sure you have all heard about the new float tank craze. You submerge yourself in water heated to the temperature of your skin, containing 40% epsom salt and float your cares away for over an hour.

Before I get into my experience of the sensory deprivation float tank, let me talk a little about the benefits.

Float tanks are known to offer the perfect environment to relax and restore your mind and body. Let’s admit, the stress of everyday work life can really affect some people. Stress is extremely bad and no matter how many times people say “stop stressing, it’s not worth it” your body just doesn’t seem to listen.

The float tank is good as it is built in a way that blocks external stimulation. You literally lay there in a pitch black room, which really confuses your senses, and just float. You can truly relax because your brain does not have to process those million thoughts that are generally running through your brain. Well that's the aim anyway.

Floating is known for:

Reducing stress
Helping your body recover
Helping enter a deep state of being
Reduce/eliminate chronic pain
Maximise creativity
Improved sleep
Weight loss
Reducing anxiety

Now to my experience. My good friend Sarah and I have wanted to try floating therapy for a long time, so we booked ourselves into Forever Floating – Oxford Street. We left work early (I hope my boss isn’t reading this) and headed to the City.

We were greeted by a super chilled and genuinely nice guy who took us down stairs and told us a little more about floating therapy and how it works.

First things first, into the shower it is to wash off any excess oil, makeup, deodorant etc.

After washing off, it was time to jump into the tank. And by “jump” I mean awkwardly step in trying not to lose balance. Once in, I had to wipe down the roof to prevent any condensation dripping into my eyes. It didn't really matter as I accidentally splashed my eye half way through and it did not feel nice. 17 bags of salty water straight in my eye! I was not a happy camper.

I will admit it took me a while to get in and comfortable. I am extremely claustrophobic and the thought of laying in water in the pitch black completely surrounded by a tank, really freaked me out.

I finally found the courage to switch off the internal light and close the lid of the tank. It took about 10-15 minutes.

So there I was, laying in complete darkness, with absolutely no sound but my beating heart. It was super weird to begin with.

I have an extremely active mind so it did worry me having to lay in the same spot for 75 minutes without getting bored.

The first 30 minutes went quite slow. My mind was racing and I couldn’t seem to just block it all out. Like I said, I have an active mind and I find it really difficult to shut off. In fact, I have never managed to shut off completely. It’s something I am working on.

So the first 30 minutes goes by and I am still floating. Like I said earlier, I got a little restless and ended up accidentally splashing water in my eye. I had to get up and wash it out with normal water as it burnt like crazy.

I got back in after a minute or so ready for the next 45 minutes. I have to admit, the second part went really fast.

I tried really hard to shut off and although I didn’t completely clear my mind, I was able to relax and before I knew it the salt lamp had come back on and my 75 minutes was up.

I got out, washed off and got dressed.

I slept great last night. My skin felt great and my muscles weren’t sore in the slightest. Getting out of the tank felt exactly like waking up in the morning. Super weird!

Overall, it was a really awesome experience and I can’t wait to do it again. The more I float the better I will get at shutting off. Practice is the key.

I’ve managed to convince my fiancé to do it with me next time so I am booking in again in a few weeks.

So, to float or not to float? My answer is… float!!